Cavs confident they can achieve playoff goal
CLEVELAND — For the first time since it really mattered, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen out of the top six in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Toronto Raptors (42-32) jumped ahead of the Cavs (41-33) on Saturday. The eighth-place Brooklyn Nets (39-35) now have the full services of seven-time All-star Kyrie Irving after New York relaxed its COVID-19 protocols.
The top 10 in the East remain tight, with the Charlotte Hornets (38-36) and Atlanta Hawks (37-37) capable of juggling the standings.
But with eight games remaining, Cavs guard Darius Garland isn't panicking. He still believes their goal to stay out of the play-in tournament for seeds 7-10 is within reach.
“We're going to be there, top six for sure. I've got confidence in us,” Garland said after the Cavs' 98-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. “We all have confidence in that locker room that we're going to be there in that top six.”
Garland did hedge a bit at the end of his answer.
“If we're in the play-in game or whatever, we're in the playoffs. We're going to get there,” he said.
The Cavs just dropped their two biggest games of the season. Saturday was a showdown of the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds. On Thursday, they fell 117-104 at Toronto. They are 3-6 since All-star center Jarrett Allen fractured his left middle finger on March 6.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said looking at a play-in spot is not a hard reality to accept.
“No, it's part of it. We've got eight games left to go figure out what we've got to do to get it done,” Bickerstaff said. “No matter what the results or no matter where we finish in the standings, I know our guys will compete hard enough to give us a chance and I'm confident in that.”
Garland agreed the Cavs were playing tight because of their place in the standings.
“You can say that,” he said. “We have never been in this position. This is all new to us. Just have to get through it. We wanted to be here, we asked for it and know what we have to do to get wins and we have to get back to that.”
Garland said their day-to-day situation is impossible to ignore.
“I mean, we're not watching. It comes up in our face all the time,” Garland said. “Y'all talk about it, so we hear about it.”